Protected area effectiveness

Protected areas have long been recognised as an important tool for protecting biodiversity, and are now increasingly recognised for their role in protecting carbon; recent global analyses by UNEP-WCMC (2008) have shown that approximately 15% of the global carbon stock is currently found within protected areas. Carbon emissions from deforestation account for an estimated 20% of global carbon emissions (IPCC 2007.

In collaboration with the University of Copenhagen and the University of Queensland, we aim to measure protected area effectiveness, at a regional and national scale, using a landscape modelling approach. As part of this project we are working to update and analyse the Protected Areas Management Effectiveness (PAME) database, which is linked to the

Coad, L., Burgess, N.D., Bomhard, B. and Besancon, C. (2009) Progress towards the Convention on Biological Diversity's 2010 and 2010 Targets for Protected Areas. A technical report for the IUCN international workshop "Looking to the Future of the CBD Programme of Work on Protected Areas", Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, 14-17 September 2009.